Petersburg schools move towards year round school

Summer vacation could soon become a thing of the past in the Petersburg school system. The school board voted Wednesday night to move forward with a proposal for year-round school.

Petersburg parents sounded off at the school board meeting. Almost every parent said they support taking away summer vacation.

If the proposal passes, the two-and-a-half-month break between June and September would be gone. Instead, there would be shorter and more frequent breaks throughout the school year. Kids would still be in school 180 days a year.

"If you have year-round school you don't have that gap," said city council member Treska Wilson-Smith. She's been fighting for year-round school for 15 years. "You can continuously be in a learning mode.

"It helps the city because it means these kids aren't out in the streets. They have something to do, they have somewhere to go. It's just a win-win situation."

The school board voted unanimously to apply for a $50,000 grant to conduct a feasibility study. The study would see if Petersburg can afford keeping their buildings and busses running year-round.